DECK REVIEW: King Solomon Cards

King Solomon Cards
Itzhak Mizrahi
Orna Ben-Shoshan, art & design desigttp://kabbalahinsights.com/products/king-solomon-cards
Self-published version
USD $46.00 Quantity & combination discounts are available


Although published by US Games, if you are interested in collecting decks as I am, you will want to dish out the extra cash and treat yourself to the self-published version of The King Solomon Cards (available from the link above) for several reasons. The cards come housed in a sturdy wooden box with a metal hinged lid and metal latch (gold color for all). There is a clear sticker on the lid with the title of the cards and this makes it look like the title is printed directly on the wood. The base of the box has another clear sticker that has the publishing information. The colorful label you see in the picture slides right off the box. I am trying to keep mine in good condition so I keep it around the box when the cards are not in use.

Within the box you will find one 3 X 5" 54-page guide book. The cards measure 3 X 4 3/4" and there are 36 cards, plus four extra cards you can use as amulets to bring you various blessings. The base of the interior of the box is lined with felt and the cards come wrapped in a bluish lavender silk cloth. This is a VERY nice packaging job and if I could package my own deck in any way I wish, I would choose this method myself.

The cards have a nice laminate on them. It's not stiff so the cards are easy to shuffle, yet the laminate is good enough that the cards will stand up to years of shuffling. Each card is numbered, 1 - 36 and the interpretations in the guide book contain the same numbers so it's simple to find each card that appears in a reading. The photo here shows you the color of the cloth, the guide book (lower left), the deck of cards, and the four bonus cards (lower right). The cards have a dark blue border and the card backs are light aqua-blue.

 The artwork by Orna Ben-Shoshan, is characterized by lovely bright colors. Rendered in the same whimsical style as her 72 Names of God deck, the cards are illustrated with figures in surrealistic dream-like settings and landscapes.

Personally, I find the deck to have a very nice "feel" to it. It has good energy and I was able to start using it for readings right out of the box. It did not require cleansing or charging prior to use. Readings are concise and the authors recommend you draw only one card for each question and that you do not approach the deck with the same question twice in a week, which is really good advice for any type of tarot or oracle deck.

The card interpretations are provided on four levels: Situation, Person, Advice, and they each also have an inverted meaning in case they appear reversed in a reading. Interpretations are short and to the point. This is a good deck for beginners as the system itself is quite simple to grasp and the deck provides insightful readings.

 The guide book concludes with several examples of spreads, which are as follows:

· Single Card Spread

           · 3-Card Spread
          · 4-Card Spread
          · Adding a Card to Clarify

This is a delightful set of cards and personally, I really enjoy using them, and I hope those among you who decide to purchase this deck also enjoy them. Note that this same deck is also published by US Games and is available on Amazon, but it is only packaged in a typcal tarot-type cardboard box and does not contain any of the nice extras that you get with the self-published version. The photos for this deck review are of the self-published version, only.
 
Blessings,


Nefer Khepri, Ph. D., R. M-T.
http://www.magickal-musings.com
IsisRaAnpu@gmail.com

DECK REVIEW: The 72 Names Cards

The 72 Names Cards (Oracular)

Orna Ben-Shoshan

Self-published:

Kabbalah Insights, 2011

$39.00

Available directly from:

http://www.kabbalahinsights.com/products/the-72-names-cards

This oracular deck is based upon the 72 Names of God, according to the Kabbalah.  A name is provided at the top of the image of each card in Hebrew.  You do not have to be familiar with Kabbalah or know anything about it or the 72 Names of God in order to use this deck.  This deck is easily used by anyone and comes with a very helpful guidebook.

The cards measure 2 5/8 X 4 ¼” so they are easy to shuffle even by us readers with small hands.  They have a sturdy laminate that will withstand years of shuffling and use.  Colors are soft pastels for the most part, with bright colors interspersed throughout.  The images were all channeled as complete images and then transferred to canvas by the artist, Orna Ben-Shoshan.  Imagery is whimsical and fantastical with flying people, couches on springs that seem to be bounding upward, trumpets extending through holes in the sky, and figures with only red outlines for heads.  Card backs are dark orange with the logo for the 72 Names in the center.  This deck does not use reversals.  All images are meant to be read upright.

The guidebook is only slightly larger than that cards.  It has a simple fold-over stapled binding and is 71 pages long.  The cards are listed by their number, which appears in the lower left-hand corner of each card.  Both the cards and the guidebook are housed within a recessed well inside a laminated cardboard box.  The box closure consists of a hinged lid with a flap that fits into a slit along the front side of the box.

Although I’m not Jewish, nor do I know anything about Kabbalah, I was able to use these cards immediately right out of the box.  This proved to me that anyone would be able to use this deck.  The author suggests that these cards be approached with respect and that you should not ask the same question repeatedly in hopes of obtaining a more positive answer. This is good advice for any deck a person consults. 

The letter combinations present on each card in the Hebrew alphabet help to connect us to the divine energies that emanate from that particular Name of God.  The author states, “[u]tilizing these sacred letter combinations in everyday life opens the door to spiritual transformation and gives us the tools need to participate in the fulfillment of the cosmic plan.”

The 72 Names is a very simple system of divination. It does not require memorization of all 72 cards (unless you would really like to, of course), and there aren’t any long, complicated spreads.  Only one card is drawn for each question.  Should the meaning of the card as it pertains to your question or issue still remain unclear to you, then you may draw a second card for clarification.  That’s all it takes to do a reading with The 72 Names.

Each card’s interpretation consists of three parts: 

• Perspective:  the current situation and the factors that contributed to its development,

• Direction: spiritual guidance and advice, and

• Bottom Line: the best course of action or what’s really going on with the situation in question.

 This is a beautiful deck.  The images on most cards do not easily lend themselves to intuitive interpretation, but then again, that’s why most decks come with a guidebook.  The card interpretations provided in the guidebook are straightforward and offer insightful advice and suggestions as to how one can change one’s behavior in order to improve the situation. I found that to be quite refreshing as opposed to the predictive nature of many oracular decks on the market today. 

I would recommend this deck to anyone who has a sincere interest in getting to the root of the issues in their life and who also enjoy a bit of whimsy in their readings.  The images are surreal and very dreamlike with flying figures, checkered floors in the sky, and so on.  The artwork makes this deck highly appealing and I shall continue to enjoy using it.